For Self-Driving Startups, Revenue Is Elusive, But Miles Add Up
May Mobility is going after the basic transportation needs that its fleet of slow-moving vehicles can handle.
A self-driving shuttle from May Mobility transports commuters in downtown Detroit.
Photographer: Jim West/AlamyMay Mobility Inc.’s boxy white-and-green self-driving shuttle pulls up to a damp corner in downtown Detroit. Its big doors swing out revealing a safety driver and six seats that face each other. It’s more comfortable than a subway car or most buses, but not by much.
The shuttle slips down a bus lane and stops at a corner to look for passengers. It’s a fixed route that covers a little less than a mile in Detroit, ferrying passengers from cheap parking near Greektown, a small entertainment district, to the crowded headquarters of Quicken Loans and other towers that employ some 18,000 people.